Elysian Camerata Press Kit (PDF)

Elysian Camerata In trying to find a name for this ensemble that we felt would be true to our self-image, we looked at words and ideas that would express how deeply we love this music. The term ‘elysian’ means literally ‘heavenly’. We could find no other word that so singularly and so completely expresses how we feel about our work. About us . Whether it be an intimate duo for violin and cello, a dramatic piano quintet or a grand string sextet, Elysian Camerata has built an enormous repertoire, along with its outstanding reputation, encompassing chamber music of all styles and ensemble sizes. For more than a decade the Elysians have shared their musical insight with countless audiences throughout Pennsylvania and beyond. Ever mindful of the composer’s original intent, these skilled musicians infuse their own passion and inspiration into the genius within the music to create some of the most exciting and musically provocative performances in the Phila- delphia area. Music from the early Baroque to recently composed and commissioned works are all part of the diverse fare that one can expect to find on an Elysian program. The Camerata’s core instrumentation of two violins, two violas, cello and piano serve as the basis from which it regroups into various sizes and types of ensembles. On occasion they invite guest artists of other instrumentation to join them in concert. The members of Elysian Camerata, all independently established musicians in Philadelphia and its environs, are involved in performance and teaching with numerous area ensembles and institutions. Their individual careers have involved them with most of the area's major ensembles and music schools. Elysian Camerata's members have performed with the Penn- sylvania Ballet Company, Allentown Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Chamber Or- chestra, the Philly Pops, Relache, Lehigh Valley Chamber Orchestra, Opera New Jersey, Lancaster Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Classical Symphony, Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra, the Philadelphia Opera Company, Tempesta di Mare, Princeton Symphony Or- chestra and the Philadelphia Orchestra. The Elysians all share a strong commitment to passing on their musical legacies through teaching. Some of the members have had long-standing affiliations with the Settlement Music School network while others teach at area schools and colleges, including Haverford College, Bryn Mawr College and the Community College of Philadelphia. Additionally, they all maintain private teaching studios. Chamber music is the one constant that binds together the members of this ensemble. Throughout their respective careers all of the Elysian musicians have continued to hone and develop their formidable skills in the art of chamber music performance. Other chamber ensembles that the Elysians are or have been involved with include the Serafin Quartet, the Gabriel Chamber Ensemble, the Arioso String Quartet, the Castalia String Trio, Pyxis Piano Quartet, the Fairmount String Quartet, the Tenor Clef Dwellers and the Soglio Chamber Players. Elysian Camerata continues to explore new musical paths and bring their dynamic playing to new audiences both near and far. As they start their second decade as a performing ensemble Elysian Camerata celebrates the ten-year mark performing their series at the Church of St. Asaph in the Philadelphia suburb of Bala Cynwyd. What we offer . Elysian Camerata prides itself on presenting performances of outstanding quality that put an emphasis on the great diversity to be found in the chamber music repertoire. Our concerts typically include three to four chamber works featuring ensembles of differing size and instrumentation which lend interest and an ele- ment of unpredictability to our concerts. We tailor our concerts to meet the presenter’s format requirements. Our concerts are often supplemented by brief oral program notes so that the audience will have a greater appreciation for the music. Elysian Camerata also offers more extensive pre-concert lectures that explore the background of the program in greater detail. These lectures can, at times, include musical demonstrations to alert the audience to thematic material they will be hearing during the concert. In addition to our concertizing experience, all Elysian Camerata members have extensive backgrounds as teachers and chamber music coaches. We would be pleased to schedule master classes and/or chamber music coachings with students within a presenter’s local area. Elysian Camerata also offers educational outreach programs aimed at school-aged audiences. If you are interested in scheduling such an event please contact us for more details about this program. Contact information . For concert and residency bookings please contact: Talia Schiff 1109 Wallace Drive Fort Washington, PA 19034 (215)643-9446 [email protected] www.elysiancamerata.org Sample Repertoire . Béla Bartók Zoltán Kodály Rhapsody for violin and piano Intermezzo for String Trio Sonate for Violoncello and Piano, Op. 4 Ludwig van Beethoven Duet for Viola and Cello with two obligato eyeglasses Gustav Mahler String Quartet in D major, Op. 18, no. 3 Piano Quartet in A minor String Quartet in E minor, Op. 59, no. 2 String Quartet in E-flat major, Op.74, the “Harp” Felix Mendelssohn String Quintet in C major, Op. 29 Piano Trio No.1 in D minor, Op. 63 String Trio in G major, Op. 9, no. 1 String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13 String Quintet in B-flat major, Op. 87 Leonard Bernstein Three Meditations from Mass for Cello and Piano Darius Milhaud Sonatine a Trois Johannes Brahms Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart String Quintet No. 1 in F major, Op. 88 Piano Trio in G major, K. 496 String Quintet No.2 in G major, Op.111 Piano Quartet in G minor, K.478 Piano Quartet in E-flat major, K. 493 Rebecca Clarke String Quartet in D major, K. 575 Dumka for Piano Trio Adagio for String Quintet, KV 411 String Quintet in C minor, K. 406 Arcangelo Corelli String Quintet in C major, K. 515 Sonata in F Major for two violins and continuo Op. 1 1 String Quintet in G minor, K. 516 String Quintet in D major, K. 593 Claude Debussy String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10 Max Reger String Trio No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77b Ernő Dohnányi Piano Quintet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 1 Franz Schubert Serenade for String Trio String Quartet in A minor, Op. 29 String Trio in B major, D. 471 Antonin Dvořák Piano Quintet in A major, Op. 81 Clara Schumann String Quintet in E-flat major, Op. 97 Romances for Violin and Piano, Op. 22 Piano Trio in E-flat major, Op. 17 Alexander Glazunov Elegie for Viola and Piano, Op. 44 Robert Schumann Sonata in A minor for Violin and Piano, Op. 105 Mikhail Glinka Märchenbilder for Viola and Piano, Op.113 Three Russian Songs for violin, viola and piano Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 49 Phantasiestucke for Piano Trio, Op. 88 Franz Josef Haydn Piano Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 47 String Quartet in F minor, Op. 20 no. 5 String Quartet No. 3 in A major, Op. 41 no. 3 String Quartet in C major, Op. 20 no. 2 Piano Quintet in E-flat major, Op. 44 Paul Hindemith Dmitri Shostakovich Sonata for Solo Cello, Op. 25 no.3 Piano Quintet, Op. 57 Duet for Viola and Violoncello (1936) William Grant Still Alan Hovhaness Lyric Quartette String Trio, Op. 201 (1963) Ralph Vaughan Williams Arthur Honegger Phantasy String Quintet Sonatina for Violin and Cello A native of Minersville, PA, violinist Dana Weiderhold studied under Simon Maurer, Sylvia Ahramjian, Michael Jamanis, James Stern and Arnold Steinhardt and has received degrees Our members . from both West Chester University of Pennsylvania and Uni- versity of Maryland. Ms. Weiderhold has concertized in Vene- zuela, Romania, Carnegie Hall, most recently appeared at Tulane University in New Orleans with her piano trio “Salisi” and was a featured soloist in Cameroon. She has appeared on WHYY, XPN, WRTI, WVIA, NBC, and QVC and has been a featured soloist with the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, West Chester University Chamber and Symphony Orchestras and the Newark Symphony Orchestra. Dana is principal second violinist of the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra, assistant concertmaster of the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, serves as assistant concertmaster of the PA Philharmonic and is concertmaster of the Anthracite Philharmonic. She has performed as an orchestral musician with the Annapolis, Al- lentown, Chester County Pops and Kennett Symphonies and Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra. As an active chamber musician, she is violinist in the piano trio “Salisi” and has appeared as a guest artist with the Gabriel Chamber Ensemble. Ex- pressing her interest in both classical and Indy Rock music, Dana has collaborated with some of Philadelphia’s most pop- ular singer/songwriters having appeared on Andrew Lipke’s “The Plague” and “Siddiqah” as first violinist of the Azrael String Quartet. Ms. Weiderhold has been providing private violin and viola instruction for students of all ages and levels for well over a decade. She has been a faculty member at the Barbara Jaffe, violinist, received a Master of Music degree Darlington Fine Arts Center, The Music Centre, Blue Moun- in Performance and Literature from the Eastman School tain Academy, Olenka School of Music in Maryland and has of Music, where she was a student of Donald Weilerstein. instructed young student group classes at the Pennsylvania She graduated magna cum laude from the Philadelphia Academy of Music in Lancaster. Dana coaches chamber mu- College of the Performing Arts with a Bachelor of Music sic at the Bear Crossing Chamber Music String Camp each degree and was the recipient of the PCPA Book Prize for summer as well as Vermont Music and Arts Program at excellence in the Liberal Arts.

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